County of site: McDonald County
Location of site: Main St. & 5th St., Pineville
Platted: 1847
"In 1938, the Hollywood movie “Jesse James” was filmed in the Missouri Ozarks. The movie, produced by Twentieth Century Fox and starring Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, and Nancy Kelly, was primarily filmed in the small town of Pineville, as well as elsewhere in McDonald County. Additional filming locations included Lake Ozark, Missouri. Pineville was selected to represent Jesse James' hometown of Liberty, Missouri, due to its resemblance at the time to 19th Century Missouri. Pineville's population at the time was 383, and many of its citizens took part in the movie as extras. The film, which was a box office success, was Missouri's first major contribution to Hollywood film making history. The city of Pineville continues to commemorate its role in the film with its annual “Jesse James Days” celebration." ~ Missouri Digital History
"The 1938 film of Jesse James was filmed in and around Pineville, Missouri. The courthouse square in Pineville, a paved thoroughfare, was covered with 400 truck loads of dirt and every tract of modern civilization was removed from business buildings to turn back seventy years of time, providing the proper James gang setting. There were many people from the area that were hired for “Extras”.
"Every year to celebrate the movie being made here we have Jesse James Days, which consists of a nightly Carnival. Arts and craft booths are set up around the old Square, we have a cook shack, a Frisbee throw nightly for the kids (which will have prizes attached to them), a Parade, a B-B-Q Chicken Dinner, a Bank Robbery, nightly Music, and many, many more activities that are too numerous to mention. The money that is raised goes to the Volunteer Fire Department to operate on for the next year. This event takes place in August each year, for more information please feel free to contact City Hall. The event this year will be held on August 6th-8th!" ~ Chamber of Commerce
The Movie: well, same story, of poor Jesse and how the world did him wrong so it was OK to kill folks and rob folks and all that bad stuff....just as long and some girl loved him and he gave ALL his money away to poor folks he did not kill.
Nice dream, but a load of houuie....He was a Confederate soldier, a guerrilla, but after the Civil War, he did not quit...he was a bad guy...murder, thief, and low life scum....but Hollywood can't see it that way...it is to real and Liberals cannot deal with real life.
Side notes on the actors...Tyrone Power was a Marine, and fought in WWII, the other actors in this film were terrific actors..Henry Fonda became top of the line and box office favorite.